The Busy Woman s Garden Book 



sowing with a seeder, owing to the more even 

 distribution and the lessened amount of thinning 

 required; if vegetables of this class did not need 

 thinning their cultivation would be robbed of 

 its chief bm'den; unfortunately they do need it 

 and quite drastic thinning at that ; thinning should 

 commence as soon as the beets are large enough 

 to handle, leaving them standing about one inch 

 apart. In about two weeks another thinning 

 may be given. By this time the young beets will 

 be large enough for greens and they may be 

 thinned to stand two inches apart in the row; 

 a third thinning will be final and should leave 

 about four inches between the beets; this will 

 allow room for full maturity and perfectly 

 formed roots. Beets are at their best when about 

 an inch to an inch and a quarter in diameter and 

 this is the size which is utilized for canning; when 

 used of this size about an inch of the top may be 

 left on and they are served whole, di'essed with 

 butter and seasoning. 



The old Egyptian beet has long been acknowl- 

 edged as standard, but Crosby's Egyptian is a 



88 



